Vegan Sweet Potato Mac N' Cheese

Growing up, a staple in our home was most definitely Mac n' Cheese. I think, in most homes, this is a staple. It's cheap, simple, yummy, and loved and eaten by kids (that's a huge point). The issue with this boxed delight is that it's processed, processed, processed. As we are leaning, anything processed is definitely NOT a healthy choice for consumption. But what do we do when just have a good ol' hankering for some mac n' cheese (and believe me, I have my share of cravings some days). Well, we look for other ways we can still enjoy this meal, using whole, natural foods.

I've made my own mac n' cheese many times, making my own cheese sauce from scratch, however, never before had I attempted to make "vegan" mac n' cheese. I think, when my husband said he wanted mac n' cheese for supper, he wasn't expecting this, but he was still pleasantly surprised when he ate it. :) What else was he going to do?

Now, I say this is vegan, however, I made it definitely NOT vegan by adding chunks of sausage in the end. So if you want this dish to be truly vegan, just don't add sausage and voila! :D Easy peasy.

I found this recipe on Detoxinista and you can see her original recipe here. 

Hope you enjoy this new take on the old classic. Yum!

VEGAN SWEET POTATO MAC N' CHEESE

(gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

Ingredients:

(Serves approx 4)

1 medium sweet potato, chopped into chunks

1 cup unflavoured, unsweetened almond milk (make your own for even more health benefits)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Spices of choice

Gluten-free pasta of choice (or whatever pasta you desire if not required to be gluten-free), cooked as directed. I used brown rice elbow pasta.

Directions:

- In a veggie steamer (or small sauce pan), steam the sweet potato chunks until tender, about 10 minutes.

- Mash the cooked potato with a fork, then measure out one cup of mashed sweet potato for the sauce.

- Add it to your blender, along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.

- Adjust the seasonings to taste, then serve over a bowl of your favourite, piping-hot pasta:

- you can mix with your favourite veggies and bake in the oven for a mac n' cheese casserole, or serve as is for the gooey mac n' cheese experience. 

- Optional, chop and fry up some of your favourite sausage (we used garlic Polish sausage) and toss it in with your dish.

Left over sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to about 4 days

What's your favourite way to eat mac n' cheese???

Happy Eating!!!